Automatic music turner and holder



(No Model.)

I. A. SHANTON. AUTOMATIC MUSIC TURNER AND HOLDER.

,548. Patented Jan. 4, 1898.

UNiTnn STATES PATENT Qrrics.

IRA A. SHANTON, OF MOUNT PLEASANT, MICHIGAN.

AUTOMATIC MUSIC TURNER AND HOLDER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 596,548, dated January4, 1898.

Application filed August 17, 1896. Serial No. 608,018. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, IRA A. SHANTON, acitizen of the United States,residing at Mount Pleasant, in the county of Isabella and State ofMichigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in MusicTurners and Holders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and eXact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention is a music turner and holder, its object being to providemeans for turning the leaves of music by the striking of a key or leverarranged near the keyboard of the instrument, and means for holding themusic in the open position and also for turning the leaves back; and itconsists in the peculiar arrangement, construction, and combinationhereinafter described and shown.

My device is adapted to be placed in a small compass and is securedunderneath the musicrack of an instrument by means of springs to engagethe rack or by screws firmly securing it in position, or it may be madea part of a secondary rack to be secured on the instrument.

Figure 1 is a front elevation. Fig. 2 is a plan view from the top withthe top of the box removed. Fig. 3 is a detail of the operatinglever andspring. Fig. at is a detail in part sectional on lines w of Fig. 1.

111 the drawings, 1 and 2 are posts, and 3 and the top and bottom of abox supported by the posts, between which the mechanism for operatingthe turner is arranged.

5 is a central shaft having rigidly secured thereto the segmentalgearing 6, 7, S, and 9, which are all of the same circumferences, soarranged upon the shaft 5 as to follow one anotherviz., the first cog ofthe segment 8 is just the width of one cog from the last cog of segment9. As will be observed in Fig. 1, these segments are arranged one abovethe other and independently but rigidly secured to the shaft 5. As willbe hereinafter seen,

any number of segments may be employed that maybe necessary to do thework required. 17 is a shaft in the box parallel to the shaft 5 andhaving arranged thereon a series of small pinions 10, each pinion beingin the same horizontal plane with one of the segment-s 6, 7, S, and J,and as many pinions are required as there are segments-one pinion foreach segment. The pinions are loose upon the shaft 17, so as to operateindependently. Each pinion carries an arm 18 19 2O 21, extending outfrom the shaft and moved by the pinion as the pinion is revolved, andeach arm is provided with two vertical fingers at its end, which lingersare so arranged as to receive between them a leaf or sheet of music.

11 is a wheel secured 011 the shaft 5, having on its circumferentialedge a number of right-angle notches 12, one notch for each segment onthe shaft 5.

13 is a flat spring extending from the post 1 inward to the wheel 11 andhas a bent end 15, adapted to engage any one of the notches 12 on wheel11. The spring ltlis engaged by the operating-lever 16 23, which ispivoted at 22 to the bottom of the box and is provided with anextension-arm 27, adapted to extend down to or just above the keyboardof the instrument.

23 is a bar fulcrumed in the upper end of lever by pivot 24:, and isadapted to move but one way-viz., outward-as shown in dotted lines inFig. 4-. Spring 25 is placed to resist this movement of the bar 23 andreturn it when moved.

14: is a lug on the inside of spring 13, having its ends beveled, asshown.

13 is a rectangular slot in the spring 13 just in front of the bar whenin its normal position, the slot being wider than the bar, so that itmay pass through it, as will hereinafter appear.

The movement of the depending end 2? of the lever to the left, as shownin the drawings, crowds the bar against the lug 1t and pushes the end15of spring 13 out of notch 12 and allows wheel 11 to revolve, beingpropelled by the coiled spring 26, secured to shaft 5 and to frame. Therevolving of the wheel 11 revolves the shaft 5 and with it the segments6, 7, 8, and 9, and one of these segments being in engagement with oneof the pinions 10 the pinion in engagement with the segment will berevolved and thereby carry its arm 18 and with it the fingers and sheetof music between the fingers, the notches 12 being arranged just farenough apart to turn the arm 18 the proper distance to turn the page ofmusic. The releasing of the lever returns the spring 13 and engages thenext notch and locks the mechanism and holds the arm in the positionthat it has been turned. The same operation is repeated with each of thesegments 8, 7, and (3, when desired to turn the music-leaf. If for anyreason it is desired to turn the music-leaf back, so as to repeat themusic, pressing the lever 27 to the right, as shown in the drawings,shoves the spring 13 out of the notch, which will be engaged by the bar23 of the lever, and as the lever is moved farther to the right thewheel 11 will be turned back by the bar 23 until the sprin g 13 dropsinto the next notch 12, thereby holding and locking the wheel, allowingthe lever to be released and returned.

In order that the lever may be accommodated to the circumference of thewheel, I have pivoted the bar 23, as described. As the lever isreturnedit is apparent that it will be upon the outside of the spring 13until it-reaches the slot 13, when the spring 25 pushes the bar23through the slot and into its normal position ready to again engagethe notch 12 or the lug 14, as before described.

It will be observed that the segmental gearing instead of being formedin segments may consist of a series of cogs upon a large pinion adaptedto engage the smaller pinion, but I prefer to use the segments, as itrequires less material and less space.

In securing this device to an instrument the securing means ma be soarranged as to form also means for holding the music-book open beforeone of the arms has been turned over. This may consist of a spring-plugadapted to pass down through the frame of the device and into the baseof the instrumentrack, the upper end extending upward far enough toreceive and hold the end of the book.

I do not wish to confine myself to any particular form or constructionof the parts as shown, and therefore any change may be made as comeswithin ordinary mechanical skill without departing from the principle ofmy invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure byLetters Patent, is-

1. In a music turner and holder, the combination with the music-carryingarms journaled on a vertical shaft and having on their rear endsgearing, segmental gearing journaled 011 a central vertical shaft andadapted to mesh into the gearing of the arms there being a segmentalgear-piece for each arm, the segmental gears arranged on their centralshaft to engage each its arm in succession, a notched wheel on thecentral shaft, a coiled spring secured to the central shaft and to theframe, whereby when wound the notched wheel and shaft and gear-arms maybe revolved when released, of a pivoted lever in front of and above thekeyboard, a springpawl engaging and holding the notched wheel andadapted to be engaged by the lever, and when engaged by the leverdisengaged from the notched wheel, substantially as and for the purposeset forth.

2. In a music-turner, the device for releasing the turner, comprisingthe notched wheel 11, the spring-pawl 13 adapted to engage the notches12 on the wheel 1.1, the pivoted lever 16 depending in front of andabove the keyboard, its upper end engaging the springpawl when moved onits pivot in either direction, thereby drawing the spring-pawl out ofthe notches, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a music-turner, means for revolving the arms, carrying the music,in either direction, comprising a notched wheel actuated by a coiledspring, a spring-pawl for engaging the notches on the circumference ofthe wheel, a pivoted lever in front of and above the keyboard andadapted to engage the spring-pawl for disengaging the spring-pawl fromthe notches when the lever is moved in one direction, thereby permittingthe wheel to re volve and move the arms, and for engaging the notches onthe wheel when moved in the opposite direction and thereby push thewheel backward, and with it the arms, and means in the lever, asspecified, for permitting the lever to travel 011 the circumference ofthe wheel and be returned to its original position when released,substantially as specitied.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

IE I SIIANTON.

Witnesses:

A. II. SwAnrnoU'r, TANNIS Ronnnvs.

